Handle bar structure for motor vehicles



Dec. 27, 1949 H. l. HAZZARD HANDLE BAR STRUCTURE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Sept. 9, 1946 w m m M 9 IZN Q A R T 3? M y NQYK M 2 Dec. 27, 1949 H. HAZZARD 2,492,283

HANDLE BAR STRUCTURE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Original Filed Sept. 9, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN l/EN TOR:

HA P/PLS, A/IECH, EJSTERJ/VA/Pm Patented Dec. 27, 1949 Harry I. Hazzard,.-Los-Angeles, Calif., assignor to Sal'sbury Corporation, a corporation of Califamia originalapplicati'om September 9, 1946, Serial No. 695592; Divided and this application April 28, 1947,-Serial No. 744,351

'1 Claim (01. 74-5511) This invention relates to motor vehicles and has a special utility when" applied to a motor driven bicycle or'tricycle. The present application is a division of an application for Front end of a motor vehicle, Serial No. 695,592, filed September 9, 1946", of which I'lam' co-applicant.

The vehicle hereinafter" described may be called a motor driven bicycle, since it has two wheels, the rear wheel being driven by a motor and the front wheel being turned by Handlebars to steer the vehicle. The wheels" are smaller, however, than" those ordinarily used on bicycles and are" placed-farther apart so that. the rider may sit on a flatse'at with his legs together and his feet resting on' a fiat surface.

The invention has for its objective, the provision of a novel handle-bar structure for use in motor vehicles.

The advantages-obtained by'theuse of this novel structure will be' made evident hereinafter.

In the drawings;

Fig. 1 is avievv asseen'fromabove the vehicle in which the inven'tiorf is embodied;

Fig; 2"is a side view of this vehicle;

Fig. 3 is a viewof this} vehicle as seen from below the vehicle; a

Fig". 4 is an enlarged-'- view, as seen from above, of the front portion of the handle bars and re-' lated parts, some of these parts beingbroken away or shown in sectionto better'disclos'e internal arts;

Fig. 5 is a side View of some of the parts shown in Fig. 4, a portion" thereof being broken away or shown-in section on a plane represented by the line 511-511 of Fig. 4 to better show the internalconstruction; and I Fig. 6 is a section onaplane represented by the line 6a--6a of Fig. 5. r

The present invention is bestillustratedby disclosing its application to a motor driven-i bicycle, which is illustrated in thedrawings, Figs. 1', 2, and 3 showing the complete vehicle. This-vehicle consists of a body I supported on a rear wheel 2 and: a front wheel 3, the'vehiclebeing steered by handle bars 4 which turn about a steering axis indicated by the line 4a4a in vari ous figures. The driver sits upon a seat 5 with his feet on. a Hat support forming part ofthe body I. The rear wheel'Z' is driven-by an engine 6 situated below and a little behind the seat 5. The engine is controlled-by the driver by means formingv no part of the invention claimed herein and therefore not described- In the present improved motor vehicle, the front wheel 3 is rotatable on a wheel shaft or axle I5 which is carried at the lower end of a strut I4 2 which, in turn, is connected by an arm I 3' to a steering shaft l2 (Fig. 3). The shaft [2 is splined at its upper end to a handle bar tube 3 and the shaft and tube are adapted to rotate as a unit in ball bearings (not shown) held in a bearing housing assembly 2!. V The assemblyil is formed at the upper end of an outer cone member 62" which is attached to the forward end of the frame or chassis 6| of the vehicle and which par"- tially encloses the front wheel asshown in Fig. 2. Thus, by turning the tube 3I' and shaft T2 in' the bearing assembl 21 the front wheel 3 may be turned to steer the vehicle in the desired direction.

The upper end of the tube 3|" is coned as shown" in Fig. 5, and is provided with splines 4 I. A step' head carriage bolt 42 engages the inner surface of the cone, as'shown, and projects upwardly'beyond the tube 3| through a socket 44; Thesocket 44 is provided with splines: complementary to the" splines 4| and is a part ofa hinge bracket 45, which has flat parallel sides 43''- with arcuat'e slots 46 therein. The flat sides" 43* are engaged by the flat sides of an inner head shell 41, and two-bolts 48 pass through the parallel surfacesof" the hinge bracket and the inner head shell 41 and, when tightened, hold the surfaces together frictionally' with suiiicient' force to prevent rela tive movement thereb'etween under all c'onditioris arising in the normal op'eratio'ri' of the vehicle. Pivot bolts 49" also pass through the parallel stir-- faces of the hinge bracketli and the inrier'l lead shell 41, and, when the bolts 48' are 1oosened tne inner head shell 4T may turn about the bolts 49" aiong'the arc 5b--5b-,- as shown in Fig.5. The-inn'er head shell 41 is wel'dedor otherwise secured integrally to a" handle bar shell 51 in which thehandle bars 4 are rigidly secured; By loosening the bolts 48', the handle bars can be'adjuste'd upor down in the arcuate path 511 5 1) within limits imposed by the arcuate' length ofthe* slots 46, and by tightening the bolts 48 the handlebars 4' can be fixed in any position most satisfactory to the" rider of the vehicle.- T v Mounted on the handleibar'shellfi I are:aspeed-' cmeter 53' and a switch 54 by which theheadlight and taillight are controlled and which also controls theignition.

Certain advantages are gained by the particularform ofhandlebar used. It willbe noted from reference to Fig-. 4 that'the handle bars- 4 and the handle bar shell 5i form a T,- the bottom of whiclrrestsonthe axis Qu -4U, the handle. bars and the handle barshell: turning about the axis 4a4a.- This allows the whole handle bar structure to clear a windshield (not shown). The handle bars 4, together with the shell 5|. can also be raised or lowered by loosening the bolts 48, and locked in any position, within limits, to suit the convenience of the rider.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vehicle of the class described, a handle bar structure, comprising: a steering shaft so mounted on the vehicle that it can turn about a rotative axis; a socket member fixed to said shaft and provided with pivots extending at right angles to the axis of said shaft; a shell member surrounding said socket member and pivotally mounted on said pivots to adapt it to be adjusted, within limits, angularly with respect to said rotative axis; means for locking said shell member to said socket member in different selected positions of adjustment; and handle bars carried by said shell member.

2. In a vehicle of the class described, a handle bar structure, comprising: a steering shaft so mounted on the vehicle that it can turn about a rotative axis; a socket member fixed to said shaft and provided with pivots extending at right angles to the axis of said shaft; a shell member overlying said socket member and having portions pivotally mounted on said pivots to adapt it to be adjusted, within limits, angularly with respect to said rotative axis; clamping means for locking said shell member to said socket member in different selected positions of adjustment; and handle bars carried by said shell member.

3. In a vehicle of the class described, a handle bar structure, comprising: a steering shaft so mounted on the vehicle that it can turn about a rotative axis; a socket member fixed to said shaft and provided with pivots extending at right angles to the axis of said shaft; an inner shell.

enclosing said inner shell member; and handle 7 bars carried by said outer shell member.

7 4. In a vehicle of the class described, a handle bar structure, comprising: a steering shaft so mounted on the vehicle that it can turn about a rotative axis; a socket member fixed to said shaft and provided with pivots extending at right angles to the axis of said shaft, said socket'member having laterally projecting side portions provided with arcuate slots; an inner shell member pivotally mounted on said pivots to adapt it to be adjusted, within limits, angularly with respect to said rotative axis; clamping means on said inner shell member engageable in said arcuate slots for clamping said inner shell member in dif ferent selected positions of adjustment; an outer shell member secured to and enclosing said inner shell member; and handle bars carried by said outer shell member.

5. In a vehicle of the class described, a handle bar structure, comprising: a' steering shaft so mounted on the vehicle that it can turn about a substantially vertical rotative axis, said shaft being tapered at its upper end; a tapered socket member adapted to fit over said tapered end of said shaft; interengaging spline means on said tapered end and said socket member to connect said socket member and said shaft for unitary rotation; aligned pivot pins carried by said socket member and projecting therefrom at right angles to the axis of said steering shaft; an inner shell member pivotally mounted on said pivots to adapt it to be adjusted, within limits, angularly with respect to said rotative axis; means for locking said inner shell member to said socket member in different selected positions of adjustment; an outer shell member secured to and enclosing said inner shell member; and handle bars carried by said outer shell member.

6. In a vehicle of the class described, a handle bar structure, comprising: a steering shaft so mounted on the vehicle that it can turn about a substantially vertical rotative axis, said shaft being tapered at its upper end; a tapered socket member adapted tofit over said tapered end of said shaft; interengaging spline means on said tapered end and said socket member to connect said socket member and said shaft for unitary rotation; fastening means for fastening said socket member and said shaft together; aligned pivot pins carried by said socket member and projecting therefrom at right angles to the axis of said steering shaft; an inner shell member pivotally mounted on said pivots to adapt it to beadjusted, within limits, angularly with respect to said rotative axis; means for locking said inner shell member to said socket member in different selected positions of adjustment; an outer shell member secured to and enclosing said inner shell.

member; and handle bars carried by said outer shell member.

7. In a vehicle of the class described, a handle bar structure, comprising; a steering shaft so mounted on the vehicle that it can turn about a substantially vertical rotative axis; a socket member secured to the upper end of said shaft and to adapt it to be adjusted, within limits, angularly with respect to said rotative axis; means carried by said inner shell member and engageable in said slots for clamping said inner shell member to said socket member in different selected positions of adjustment; an outer shell member secured to and enclosing said inner shell member; and. handle bars carried by said outer shell member.

7 I. HAZZ ARD.

'REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 561,329 Leonard June 2, 1896 586,897 Godfrey July 20, 1897 609,690 Mayerson Aug. 23, 1898 671,647 Field Apr. 9, 1901 689,217 Palmer Dec. 17, 1901 1,367,500 Sedman Feb. 1, 1921 2,100,012 Mankki Nov. 23, 1937 2,114,733 Anderson Apr. 19, 1938 2,168,939 Kraeft Aug. 8, 1939 2,176,693 Snell Oct. 17, 1939 2,254,750 Nerney Sept. 2, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 14,132 Great Britain Jan. 26, 1896 537,778 France May 30, 1922 Certificate of Correction December 27, 1949 Patent No.r2,492,283

HARRY I. HAZZARD It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 4, line 64, list of references cited, for the name Sedman read Redmon;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the the record of the case in the Patent Office.

same may conform to of April, A. D. 1950.

Signed and sealed this 25th day THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant C'ommissioner of Patents. 

